Soul Key
by MiSSxMADi
Summary: There is a Key that will unlock great power..Or so it has been said. Only Inuyasha & Kagome know where it lies. Problem is, Inuyasha has disappeared and Kagome is dead. Can their son, with the help of a human girl, figure out what & where it is?


_A/N: Sadly, I do not own Inuyasha. I do, however, own my orginial characters._

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**Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End**

_The Feudal Era, Japan._

_Fifteen years ago._

The world as Kagome knew it was burning. The sky was covered in thick bellows of black smoke that even hid the starlight and the silvery full moon, while orange and red flames leapt higher, as if wanting to touch the heavens. A devilish, evil song composed of the screams of the dying had replaced the usual nocturnal melody of chirping crickets and the whistle of the night wind through the long grass. Kagome ran from the scene, leading a young boy about four years of age by the hand.

"Momma!" The boy cried in fear, his gold eyes widening as he took in the devastation surrounding him.

In one motion, Kagome scooped up the child while continuing to run. "Don't look, Rikiya." She whispered in his ear. "Stay quiet, and we'll get out of here."

As she escaped the burning temple, tears streamed down her cheeks. The Temple was being laid to ruin, and innocent young mikos were dying because of her. Because of what she and Inuyasha had done.

"_Myoga was right all along,"_ Kagome thought, slipping between the gravestones of ancient priestesses. _"If only we had listened to him!"_

Kagome made her way into the woods, frantic to get away. She despised herself for leaving her fellow priestesses behind, and felt like a coward. _"The only way to save the others and this Era is by running," _She reminded herself. It didn't ease her aching heart.

As she ran deeper into the forest, she wished that she had her bow and quiver of arrows. Not that it would have done much good, anyway. These enemies were much worse than any bandit or flesh and blood creature. Even with her priestess's powers, she couldn't touch the Wicked Ones that were laying waste to the place Kagome had called home for nearly seven years.

Suddenly, Kagome's foot caught on an uprooted, awry tree root. Instinctively, she made a cage of her arms to protect the boy as she fell. She came crashing down to the forest floor, hissing in pain as her right ankle twisted underneath her. The priestess tried to get up, but as she did so, a shiver raced down her spine and the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She jerked around and nearly screamed at the thing that stood behind her.

The creature was massive; it stood over seven feet tall, with something that might have once been a robe. Its flesh was peeling away in places from its body, leaving muscle, bones and tendons exposed. Unnaturally red hair fell in greasy mats along its back, mud and dried blood making it stiff in spots. The thing might have had a human face once, centuries upon centuries ago, but it had been partly eaten away and transformed into something more sinister. Kagome couldn't quite say _what_ exactly made it so frightening; perhaps it was the angles of the thing's face, sharper than any human's should be. Its cheekbones were so sharp that one could cut their finger on it. Maybe it was single glittering red eye, or the knife-like fangs, but somehow, it scared her more than any demon, person or animal ever had in her life.

"Give it to me," The thing hissed through the gaping hole that was its mouth.

Kagome shuddered at its voice, set her mouth in a determined line, and cradled Rikiya closer to her chest. "I don't know what you're talking about."

_How could they already know?_ She thought to herself, her terror growing. Surely they didn't know; not so quickly.

"Don't lie to me, Priestess." The half-corpse growled. "I have orders not to kill you, though if you force my hand, well.." It grinned. "Accidents do happen."

Kagome laughed scornfully in the thing's face. "What does it matter to me if I live a few hours longer?" She spat. "I'm doomed already, if your kind have found me."

"If not for your own sake, than tell me where it is.. For your child."

Kagome's blood turned to ice. "You wouldn't hurt him," she said, voice trembling. "He is innocent."

"Ah, aren't we all?" The creature said, his single eye gleaming. The thing grinned sardonically. " My patience runs thin. Make your choice, Priestess. Tell me where the Key is; or would you see your son die?

Kagome managed to stumble to her feet, favoring her sprained ankle. "I'll tell you," She whispered. "But only if you let Rikiya go."

The thing laughed. "You aren't in the position to be making negotiations, woman."

An unexpected snarl erupted from above the corpse-like thing. "No, but I am."

A flash of white and red streaked from the treetops, crashing down on the monster with such force that it was driven into the ground. However, it jumped back to its feet almost instantly, though it was only seconds before it was flat on its back again.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, relief saturating her voice. Inuyasha's eyes flickered to her before returning to the fiend before him.

"Kagome, take Rikiya and go!" He snapped, flinging himself at the beast. He cracked his knuckles and swiped at the creature with his claws.

"Father!" Rikiya cried as the undead thing sent Inuyasha flying. He struck a large tree with a sickening crunch of bone, crumpled to the ground and lay still.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed. The corpse laughed, and grabbed Kagome by the throat, dropping Rikiya to the ground. The miko clawed at the creature's hands, tearing flesh as she did so, desperate to break its hold.

"Leave my mother ALONE!" Rikiya yelled. The youngster flung himself on the creature that was threatening Kagome, and with his tiny claws, began to scratch its legs. The undead grinned and shook Rikiya off like he was a bothersome fly, sending the young boy through the air. Kagome's eyes widened in terror, as the decomposing fiend drew a spear from seemingly out of nowhere and flung it at the boy.

What happened next was as if it was in slow motion.

Rikiya eyed the spear in fear, and glanced at his mother's face. Suddenly, a purple aura covered Rikiya's body, and his expression changed from one of fear to one of determination. Slowly, the spear came to a halt in front of Rikiya's face, before it did a one-eighty. In the blink of an eye, the spear managed to find itself lodged in the walking corpse's throat, the purple aura spreading from the spear to the thing's body. In a matter of seconds, the undead dropped to its knees, eyed the boy with contempt and said a single phrase. "It has happened."

Flame erupted from the body, before quickly fading to dying embers, and then finally, ash. Kagome got to her feet, coughing and gasping for breath. "Oh, darling, are you alright?" She asked Rikiya. The boy looked at her with a satisfied expression on his face.

"I was like dad.. I protected you." He said. His gold eyes fluttered closed, and he collapsed, breathing shallowly.

"Rikiya!" Kagome knelt and cradled her son, like he was a babe in arms again, and stroked his black and silver hair.

"Is he okay?" A voice said from behind. It was Inuyasha, finally conscious, his expression one of severe parental concern.

Kagome's experienced healer's eyes quickly assessed Rikiya's body. "I think he expended himself." She said quietly, getting to her feet, still carrying Rikiya. Inuyasha took him from her, his long silver hair mixing with his son's streaked locks.

"What happened? The last thing I remember is hitting my head on that stupid tree."

Kagome looked at Rikiya in awe and fear. "He used the Powers to save me."

Inuyasha's gaze snapped from Rikiya to Kagome. "He _what?_"

"It's growing. Quicker than Myouga thought." She whispered. "It's a good thing that we hid the Key. Otherwise, he'd be unstoppable."

A bright flash turned the night sky to as light as day, and an echoing BOOM carried across the land. The trees were nearly blown apart, and the ground trembled at the impact.

"We need to leave. _Now._" Kagome said. Inuyasha nodded, casting a glance at the burning temple. His eyes betrayed his thoughts to Kagome; he was never the one to retreat from battle, to leave the helpless defenseless and dying. It wasn't in his character. Nor could she expect him to behave that way. Even for her or their son.

"I can't go." He said simply. Kagome bit her lower lip and nodded. Her heart had already told her what he was going to do, even before he said it, and she knew that she couldn't persuade him otherwise.

"I understand, Inuyasha." She managed to say. She placed a cool hand on his cheek. "Go and help the others. I will take Rikiya to Kaede's old village. We will be safe there."

Inuyasha took her hand, inhaling the intoxicating, mesmerizing scent of her, before kissing it lightly. "Don't go looking for Kouga, you understand, Kagome?" He asked, his voice barren of its usual swagger. "Because I'm just going to do my usual and save all those _humans_ before coming back to you."

Kagome smiled weakly, appreciating his attempt to be his usual self, before catching him in a hug. Inuyasha grasped her to him, holding on as if trying to memorize the feel of her.

"I will come back to you, Kagome. You and Rikiya. I promise." He murmured in her ear. He released her, gave Rikiya a quick hug, and kissed Kagome.

Then he was gone, like a distant dream.

Kagome gave one last look at the temple, her heart breaking even more so than it had been earlier. "I love you, Inuyasha. Be safe." She said. The wind caught her words and whisked them off towards the temple, as if it were making sure that the miko's lover heard them, before Kagome turned and walked away, into the burning night.

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**A/N: Well, that was entertaining! This is my first Inuyasha fan fiction, and I'm having a blast writing it. Though I'm very new to the Inu-World, I'm captivated with it. That being said, I will probably misuse terms and names. If I do, please, feel free to point that out.**

**Oh, and question: What is Hojo's last name? Or is _Hojo _that boy's last name? If anyone can answer that, I'd be much obliged.**

**R&R and I'll return the favor.  
Critism is welcome!  
-Madison**


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